Toy boat



y 1, 1965 s. AVELLINO 3,182,628

TOY BOAT Filed Nov. 20, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

ATTORN EYS SEBASTIAN AVELLINO y 1965 s. AVELLINO 3,182,628

I TOY BOAT Fi ed Nov, 20, 1952 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. SEBASTIAN AVELLINO Y United States Patent 3,182,628 TOY BOAT Sebastian Avellino, 631 American Legion Highway, Roslindale, Mass. Filed Nov. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 238,908 2 Claims. (Cl. 115-222) This invention relates to boats and more particularly comprises a new and improved toy boat designed primarily for youngsters to support and propel them in the water.

Many types of toys have been developed for supporting youngsters in the water, but none to my knowledge have been devised which safely support a youngster and provide means for mechanically propelling him from one location to another. Many of the floating devices have taken the form of water tubes which have no means of propulsion. Tubes are subject to puncture and require the user to perform swimming strokes to propel them and therefore should not be relied upon by nonswimmers in deep water. The failings of such devices as inflatable tubes have led to the adoption at many beaches and pools of rules against their use.

One important object of this invention is to provide a safe and dependable float for youngsters.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a dependable toy boat which includes means for mechanically propelling the toy and its occupant in any desired direction.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a tube type buoy designed to support the user in a relatively stable position in the water so as to avoid a tendency to tip or roll.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a toy boat with mechanical propelling means, which may be fabricated inexpensively so that it can be sold at a popular price.

To accomplish these and other objects the boat of this invention includes an annular body adapted to float upon the surface of the water. The body has a seat suspended beneath it in which the user sits surrounded by the annular body and with his legs and lower torso submerged. Propelling means are secured to the body and are positioned to be operated by the limbs of the person in the seat so as to drive the boat in any desired direction.

These and other objects and features of this invention along with its incident advantages will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a boat constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the boat shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross sectional views taken along the corresponding section lines in FIG. 2.

The boat shown in the drawing includes a body or hull 19 hydrodynamically shaped with a how 12, flared sides 14 and a stern 16. The hull is provided with a centrally located opening 18 which extends vertically through the body and is aligned vertically with a seat 20. The boat is provided with drive means 22 located as shown in the drawings at the how 12 forward of the opening 18.

The hull or body 10 may be made of any low density material such as polystyrene foam. If desired, a layer of plywood or other sheet material having greater structural strength than expanded styrene or other low density material may be used as a deck layer for the body.

The seat disposed beneath the opening 18 may be a strap-type seat made of a fabric which will not deteriorate readily although submerged frequently for long inter- 3,182,628 Patented May 11, 1965 vals. As shown in the drawing, the seat 20 is generally U-shaped and extends front to rear with respect to the hull 10. Thus a person riding on the boat straddles the seat, and for comfort the seat is wider at the back for additional support. It will be noted in FIG. 2 that the width of the seat is substantially less than the width of the opening 18 so that there is ample room through which to slip the feet when getting in and out of the boat. It is desirable to make the seat of flexible material such as fabric for it will be more comfortable for youngsters of all sizes, and in the event the boat capsizes the youngsters feet will not wedge between the edge of the seat and the margin of the opening.

The mechanical drive means 22 positioned forward of the seat 20 includes a rn-a'st 24 which supports a horizontal shaft 26 having crank arms 28 at each end. A hand grip 30 is carried on each crank arm to facilitate grasping of the crank by the operator. The mast 24 at its upper end is made up of a pair of parallel side supports 32 and 34 through which the shaft 26 extends, and the shaft 26 carries a pulley 36 between the two supports 32 and 34 for rotation with the shaft.

The mast 24 extends vertically through the body 10 as appears in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, and at its lower end beneath the body 10 carries a second shaft 38. The shaft 38 in turn carries a screw propeller 40 designed to propel the hull through the Water when rotated by the shaft. At its lower end the shaft is made up of a pair of plates 42 which support the shaft 38, and disposed between the plates 42 and fixed to the shaft is a second pulley 44. The pulleys 36' and 44 are joined by a belt 46 so that rotation of the upper shaft 26 operated by the crank handles 28 rotates the screw propeller 49 to move the boat in the water. Preferably the screw propeller 4t) and the other moving parts disposed in the water near the region normally occupied by the feet of the rider are contained within a cage 50 to prevent the possibility of an injury either to the rider or someone in the water who comes in contact with the boat.

The mast 24 is shown in the drawing to be supported on the body 10 by means of a pair of plates 52 and 54 which lie against the upper and lower surfaces of the body, respectively. The plates 52 and 54 may be secured to the shaft by any means suitable, taking into consideration the material from which the shaft and plates are made, and merely by hearing against the upper and lower surfaces of the body they will maintain the mast 24 at the desired elevation.

In use the operator sits straddling the seat 20 facing forward in the direction of the mechanical drive mean 22. When seated on the seat 29 the operators legs and the lower portion of his torso is submerged while his chest is within the opening 18 and his head, shoulders, and arms are positioned above the upper surface of the body 10 out of the water. Of course the weight of the operator will determine how low in the water the boat body it rests. With his arms free he can conveniently grasp the handles 30 on the crank arms 28 and rotate the drive shaft 26 with its pulley 36 and belt 46. Travel of the belt 46 on the course defined by the pulleys 36 and 44 causes the shaft 38 and screw propeller 40 to rotate. Rotation of the crank handles 28 in one direction causes the screw propeller 40 to draw the body it in a forward direction, and when rotation of the handles is reversed the boat moves rearwardly in the water. To turn the vehicle in the Water the operator can move one or the other of his legs outwardly to place additional drag on one side of the boat, and when this is done rotation of the propeller 40 causes the boat to turn toward that side.

Because the body 10 is made of a low density material rather than an inflated tube, it is particularly safe, for the body cannot be punctured and lose its buoyancy. The

seat 2t) which is suspended well below the body lowers the combined center of gravity of the vehicle and the operator to a point where the vehicle is extremely stable. Because wide openings are provided on each side of the seat and in alignment with the body opening 18, the feet of the operator may pass easily through the opening 18 and not become wedged between the seat and the side of the opening. This is further enhanced by making the seat of a flexible material.

Having escribed this invention in detail those skilled in the art will appreciate the numerous modifications which can be made of it without departing from its spirit. Therefore, I do not intend to limit the breadth of this invention to the specific embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the breadth of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is.

1. A boat comprising an annular solid body made of low density material and having a hydrodynamically shaped how,

a seat suspended beneath the body under its open central portion and upon which a rider sits straddling the seat with his legs extending downwardly and with the lower portion of his body submerged and with his head, shoulders and arms extending through the central portions and disposed above the annular body,

said seat being adapted to support the rider facing toward the bow,

a mast having a portion extending upwardly of the body and a second portion extending below the body and disposed at the forward portion of the body and in front of the rider when seated on the seat,

a pair of crank handles mounted on the mast above the upper surface of the body and connected by a horizontal shaft extending transversely of the body of the boat,

said handles being positioned to be turned about the shaft axis by the hands of the rider seated in the seat,

and propelling means mounted on the body and operatively connected to the shaft for propelling the boat when the cranks are turned, said propelling means being disposed forward of the seat and pulling the boat forward through the water when the handles are turned in one direction and pushing the boat rearwardly when the handles are turned in the other direction.

2. A boat as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said propelling means including a screw propeller and shaft mounted on the bottom of the mast,

and pulleys mounted on each of the shafts and connected by a belt causing the propeller to rotate when the handles are turned.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 98,302 12/69 Ross -24 607,965 7/98 Stevens 115-24 1,292,593 1/19 Fink 115-22.3 2,309,416 1/43 Ronzitti 115-22.3 2,451,781 10/48 Steele 115-70 2,674,753 4/54 Wood 9-5 X 2,894,270 7/59 Manthos 9-5 X 2,949,879 8/60 Kehn 9-6 2,998,798 9/61 Love 9-6 X FOREIGN PATENTS 357,033 9/31 Great Britain.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

RALPH D. BLAKESLEE, Examiner. 

1. A BOAT COMPRISING AN ANNULAR SOLID BODY MADE OF LOW DENSITY MATERIAL AND HAVING A HYDRODYNAMICALLY SHAPED BOW, A SEAT SUSPENDED BENEATH THE BODY UNDER ITS OPEN CENTRAL PORTION AND UPON WHICH A RIDER SITS STRADDLING THE SEAT WITH HIS LEGS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND WITH THE LOWER PORTION OF HIS BODY SUBMERGED AND WITH HIS HEAD, SHOULDERS AND ARMS EXTENDING THROUGH THE CENTRAL PORTIONS AND DISPOSED ABOVE THE ANNULAR BODY, SAID SEAT BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE RIDER FACING TOWARD THE BOW, A MAST HAVING A PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY OF THE BODY AND A SECOND PORTION EXTENDING BELOW THE BODY AND DISPOSED AT THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE BODY AND IN FRONT OF THE RIDER WHEN SEATED ON THE SEAT, A PAIR OF CRANK HANDLES MOUNTED ON THE MAST ABOVE THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE BODY AND CONNECTED BY A HORIZONTAL SHAFT EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE BODY OF THE BOAT, SAID HANDLES BEING POSITIONED TO BE TURNED ABOUT THE SHAFT AXIS BY THE HANDS OF THE RIDER SEATED IN THE SEAT, AND PROPELLING MEANS MOUNTED ON THE BODY AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE SHAFT FOR PROPELLING THE BOAT WHEN THE CRANKS ARE TURNED, SAID PROPELLING MEANS BEING DISPOSED FORWARD OF THE SEAT AND PULLING THE BOAT FORWARD THROUGH THE WATER WHEN THE HANDLES ARE TURNED IN ONE DIRECTION AND PUSHING THE BOAT REARWARDLY WHEN THE HANDLES ARE TURNED IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. 